This relates generally to imaging systems, and more particularly to imaging systems that include non-imaging data in output image frames.
Electronic devices such as cellular telephones, cameras, and computers often include imaging systems that include digital image sensors for capturing images. Image sensors may be formed having a two-dimensional array of image pixels that convert incident photons (light) into electrical signals. Electronic devices often include displays for displaying captured image data.
An imaging system often includes sources of non-imaging data that may be useful or valuable to a user of an imaging system. Non-imaging data, or more specifically, data that is not read out from image pixels may also be provided to a host processor in an imaging system, for use in image processing or calibration of the imaging system. Non-imaging data is often referred to as embedded data. Conventional imaging systems append embedded data in rows above and/or below image pixel data in an output frame. When an imaging system has a fixed or finite bandwidth for an output frame, using additional data rows to store embedded data may necessitate unwanted reduction in the amount of image pixel data that can be stored in an output frame. As an example, if an imaging system has a bandwidth of 100 rows for an output frame, and embedded data rows account for 10 rows of data above and below imaging data, only 80 rows of image pixel data is captured and stored.
As camera systems are being used to provide imaging data for use in sensitive applications such as autonomous vehicle control, it is important to maximize the amount of image pixel data that is captured in an output frame, while retaining the ability to store embedded data with the image pixel data in the output frame.
It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide imaging systems with improved embedded data transmission capabilities.